buffyfandomcom-20200223-history
Willow: Goddesses and Monsters
is a one-shot of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight comic book series. It was written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by Karl Moline. Synopsis Willow Rosenberg has worn many faces — a shy computer geek, a loyal friend, a passionate lover, a fierce Wiccan, and a dark Willow. Now in Season Eight of the critically acclaimed, award-winning Buffy comics series, Willow’s powers have grown exponentially. She can fly. Teleport. And may or may not be immortal. All we know is that Willow went on a walkabout following the demise of Sunnydale, and she met a very sultry, extremely powerful serpent lady who seems to be the key to unraveling the mysteries of what Willow is, and will become."Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8: Willow (one-shot) Jo Chen Cover". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved June 14, 2018. Summary A few months after having activating all potentials, Willow Rosenberg has decided to take a mystical journey which was traditional for witches. The first level of the trip appears as a train station, where she is greeted by one of her guides, a girl in a wheelchair named Muffitt. The second level is a field full of flowers, which Muffitt explained means that Willow is gay, as straight witches see a pine forest instead; this also reveals that Willow’s subconscious gis shape to the world around her. The next level has Muffitt and Willow sinking through the ground. Underground they meet another guide: Aluwyn. For a moment Willow thinks back to San Francisco where she has left Kennedy behind training other Slayers, and a talk about fidelity. Aluwyn urges her not to think about Kennedy, as they have to go down ever deeper. Aluwyn hints at a wound that Willow has, but suddenly they are stopped by a giant man in a dark armor. He claims that Willow should not follow this path, as it will corrupt her. He also believed that Aluwyn, the trickster, is not a suitable guide. He attacks Willow, but Willow defeats him without killing him, saying that is against her nature. When Aluwyn brings Willow to a shore where a boat is laying, Willow realizes that she wasn’t helping her on her journey and that the world around her is an illusion. Then the illusion disappears and gargantuan goddesses appear in the void. They reveal Willow that she can choose her own guide, and point out that Willow already had Tara in mind. They show her an image of Tara, who appears in an idyllic setting. Willow figures it is either an illusion or Tara is indeed in heaven, in either case, she doesn’t not want her as a guide. Elsewhere, in a mystical forest near a lake, Aluwyn and the other guides are discussing how they had failed in keeping Willow with them, when suddenly Willow emerges naked from the lake. She tells Aluwyn that she has chosen her as her guide, much to the surprise of the others. They walk off together. Continuity *The events of the story take place after the formation of the Slayer Organization, between "Chosen" and The Long Way Home, Part One. *Willow meets Aluwyn and the elemental goddesses for the first time, which already happened by the time a vision of the demon appeared in Anywhere but Here, and the group helped her in The Long Way Home, Part Four. *Aluwyn is first identified as such, previously only named “Saga Vasuki” (Wolves at the Gate, Part Four). *Willow would also comment on the use of the word “dyke” in Wolves at the Gate, Part Two. *Willow reflects on Tara’s death ("Seeing Red") and her being in peace, as she will again in Return to Sunnydale, Part Two. Appearances Individuals *Aluwyn *Ganderfleb *Gnog *Ronok *Kennedy *Tara Maclay *Muffitt *Willow Rosenberg Organizations and titles *Elemental Goddesses *Higher being *Slayer *Slayer Organization *Witch Species *Demon *Demigod *Human Locations *Unidentified dimension *Earth **San Francisco Death count *None Behind the scenes Distribution *'' '' was the 38th best selling comic issue in its publishing month, with 45,136 sales in December 2009 at comic specialty stores."Top 300 Comics Actual--December 2009". ICv2, January 12, 2010. Collections *"Twilight" *"Season 8 Library Edition, Volume 2" *"Omnibus: Season 8, Volume 1" Pop culture references *The first level of the mystical trip includes references to characters and scenario from Harry Potter novel series. *Muffitt mentions the first level used to reference the novel Alice in Wonderland. *Willow quotes the songs’ titles: "Stop! In the Name of Love", "I Believe I Can Fly", "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart", and "Love Is a Battlefield". International titles *'French:' Willow: Déesses & Monstres (Willow: Goddesses and Monsters) *'German:' Göttinnen & Monster! (Goddesses & Monsters!) Gallery Cover artwork Willow-G&M-00b.jpg|Jo Chen cover Willow G&M 01b.jpg|Karl Moline variant Preview Willow G&M P1.jpg Willow G&M P2.jpg Willow G&M P3.jpg Willow G&M P4.jpg Quotes References nl:Willow: Goddesses and Monsters Category:Season Eight Category:Buffy comics